Mobile elevating hut

ABSTRACT

The mobile, elevating hut has a trailer, a platform, legs connecting the platform to the trailer, and a lifter which can move the platform between a lowered and a raised position where the legs support the platform.

[0001] The mobile elevating hut product 10 comprises a trailer, aplatform, legs connecting the trailer to the platform, and a lifter tomove the platform to a raised position. These elements are configured sothat the product can be operated by a person without a power source.

[0002] In the raised position, the platform can provide an elevatedlookout perch. The product can be used for various purposes, such as tospot wildlife for photography or hunting, as a secure shelter, and as awork platform.

[0003] The product provides progress over prior art shown for example inU.S. Pat. Nos. 228,647 by KING; 261,874 by RICH; 445,487 by ARNOLD;2,600,807 by RIESER; 3,406,784 by JONES; 3,882,964 by SCHELLENBERG;4,442,919 by FULCHER; 5,295,555 by STRANGE; and 5,564,523 by HOWARD.

[0004]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the product in an intermediateposition.

[0005]FIG. 2 is a side view showing a lowered position.

[0006]FIG. 3 is a side view showing a raised position

[0007] The trailer has a frame 31. The trailer can have a hitch 32 atone end for connecting to a tow vehicle. Mobility of the trailer can beprovided by wheels 33 and by various other means such as runners, skis,tracks, and combinations of these and other means.

[0008] The trailer can have various leveling components, such as screwjacks 34 and hydraulic jacks, for leveling the trailer on uneventerrain. The leveling components can be collapsible, retractable, andremovable for stowing during transport.

[0009] The platform can include an enclosed hut 21 and an externalwalkway 27. The platform can have various configurations such as asimple flat surface and an enclosed hut with a floor, walls, windows,and doors.

[0010] The platform can have a ladder for accessing the platform. InFIG. 1, the platform has a two-piece ladder. The upper ladder section 22is fixed to the platform. The lower ladder section 25 is fixed to androtates with a front leg 11A. As the platform approaches the raisedposition, the ladder sections converge to form a continuous ladderassembly for accessing the platform.

[0011] The product has legs pivotally connected to the trailer and theplatform. In FIG. 1, the product has a first front leg 11A pivotallyconnected to a first platform point 24A and a first trailer point 37A, asecond front leg 11B pivotally connected to a second platform point (notvisible) and a second trailer point 37B, a first rear leg 11C pivotallyconnected to a third platform point 24C and a third trailer point 37C,and a second rear leg 11D pivotally connected to a fourth platform point24D and a fourth trailer point (not visible). The platform points andthe trailer points can be on elements connected to the platform and tothe trailer.

[0012] The product can have various numbers of legs, such as two, three,four, and more legs. Other leg configurations can be used, such as legsplaced centrally between the sides of the trailer, legs placed centrallybetween the front and rear sides of the platform, legs placedasymmetrically, and other configurations.

[0013] The product has a lifter, in use acting between the trailer andthe platform and lifting the platform between positions, such as thelowered and the raised positions. In FIG. 1, the lifter is a winchcomprising a drum 51, a cable 53, and a handle 56. Various lifters, suchas winches, worm gears, hydraulic and electric motors, hydraulic andpneumatic cylinders, and other devices can be utilized if they meet theoperational requirements of the product.

[0014] The lifter can be connected between various elements of theproduct such as the legs, the trailer, and the platform. Differentlifters can require dissimilar mounting positions in order to lift theplatform. For instance, a worm gear that provides torque to lift theplatform can require a different mounting position than a winch thatprovides a force, via a cable, to lift the platform.

[0015] In FIG. 1, the winch is mounted between the mounting plates 52. Acable 53 is wrapped around the winch drum 51 and both cable ends extendover the upper cable rod 54. One end of the cable attaches directly tothe anchor point 23 on the platform. The other end extends around thelower cable rod 55 and then attaches to the anchor point.

[0016] When the winch drum is rotated, the cable wraps around the drumat one end and simultaneously unwraps from the drum at the other end.This arrangement enables the winch, via the cable, to lift the platformin either direction.

[0017] The trailer can have an upright. The upright in use is upstandingfrom the trailer. The upright can provide a mounting position for thelifter and a connection point for locking the platform in place.

[0018] In FIG. 1, there are two uprights, placed on either side and tothe rear of the trailer. The uprights have a perpendicular member 35 anda diagonal member 36. The uprights shown in FIG. 1 provide a mountingposition for the winch mounting plates 52. The uprights hold the uppercable rod 54. They provide a locking hole 72 for locking a rear leg 11Cin place when the platform is in the raised position.

[0019] The upright can be foldable, collapsible, and removable tofacilitate stowing during transport. The trailer can have more than oneupright. The upright can be located in various positions on the trailer,such as the front, the rear, centered, and asymmetric positions.Uprights can have various configurations, such as A-frame and singlemember uprights.

[0020] The product can have a lock, used for restraining the platformand legs in a position. In FIG. 3, the lock comprises a pin 73, insertedinto a hole 71 through a rear leg, and a hole 72 through an uprightdiagonal member. The holes are shown in FIG. 1. When the platform is inthe raised position, the holes align and the pin is inserted through theholes to restrain the platform in position.

[0021] The lock can be used to lock the platform and legs in anyposition such as the raised position and the lowered position. The lockcan be comprised of integral features of the platform, legs, andtrailer. The lock can be comprised of standard parts such as bolts,padlocks, and hasps, specially designed parts, and combinations thereof.

[0022] In FIG. 2, the platform is in the lowered position. The loweredposition can be a stable position for towing due to the lowered centerof gravity. The platform can be locked to the trailer in the loweredposition to facilitate towing.

[0023] In FIG. 1, the platform is shown in an intermediate positionbetween the lowered and raised positions. FIG. 1 shows the configurationof the legs, trailer, and the platform. In an intermediate position, theplatform position is inherently unstable and requires the force of thelifter, in this case the winch, acting against the force of gravity tohold the platform in this position.

[0024] In FIG. 3, the platform is shown in the raised position. With thetrailer leveled for example by the screw jacks 34 the gravity vector 62,shown passing through the platform center of gravity 61, is balanced byupward forces through the legs.

[0025] In the raised position, the legs substantially support the weightof the platform. Each downward-directed weight force of the platform,transmitted to the legs through each connection point on the platform,is balanced by an equal, upward-directed reaction force transmitted fromthe legs through each connection point on the trailer. The force on thelifter caused by the platform is substantially zero.

[0026] Since all the forces are balanced, the raised position is anequilibrium position and the platform has no tendency to move from theraised position. Minimal restraining forces are required to hold theplatform in position when the platform moves slightly away from thisequilibrium position. The lifter with, and without, a lock can providethe restraining force.

[0027] The first platform point 24A, the first trailer point 37A, thethird platform point 24C, and the third trailer point 37C are the fourvertices of a closed figure. The closed figure can be a parallelogram.Alternatively the closed figure can be a trapezoid with two parallelsides. Alternatively the closed figure can have no parallel sides.

[0028] When the closed figure is not a parallelogram the legs and pivotpoints can be configured so that the platform center of gravity must beraised before the platform can be moved to the lowered position. In thiscase the raised position is in a stable (properly meta-stable) position,and the forces from the lifter and any lock needed to maintain theraised position are lower than in the parallelogram case. A product thathas a stable equilibrium position when raised is resistant to forcescaused by shifting wind loads and the movements of people and objects onthe platform.

[0029] A configuration of legs and pivot points which minimizes forcesneeded to maintain the raised position is an essential feature of theproduct. Otherwise a more robust lifter, lock, or other components wouldbe required to maintain the raised position and then this product wouldbe hard to operate by a person alone without a power source.

Claimed is:
 1. A mobile elevating hut comprising: a trailer; a platform;a front leg connecting the platform to the trailer, the front leg beingpivotally connected to a first platform point, the front leg beingpivotally connected to a first trailer point; a rear leg connecting theplatform to the trailer, the rear leg being pivotally connected to asecond platform point, the rear leg being pivotally connected to asecond trailer point; the first platform point, the first trailer point,the second platform point, and the second trailer point being at fourvertices of a closed figure; and a lifter, the lifter in use actingbetween the platform and the trailer, the lifter being adapted to liftthe platform to a raised position where the force on the lifter causedby the platform is substantially zero.
 2. The product of claim 1 whereinthe closed figure is a parallelogram.
 3. The product of claim 1 whereinthe closed figure is not a parallelogram.
 4. The product of claim 1further comprising a lock, the lock in use acting between the trailerand the platform to restrain the platform.
 5. The product of claim 1wherein the lifter comprises a winch.
 6. A mobile elevating hutcomprising: a trailer; a platform; a front leg connecting the platformto the trailer, the front leg being pivotally connected to a firstplatform point, the front leg being pivotally connected to a firsttrailer point on the trailer; a rear leg connecting the platform to thetrailer, the rear leg being pivotally connected to a second platformpoint, the rear leg being pivotally connected to a second trailer point;the first platform point, the first trailer point, the second platformpoint, and the second trailer point being at four vertices of a closedfigure which is not a parallelogram; and a lifter, the lifter in useacting between the platform and the trailer, the lifter being adapted tolift the platform to a raised position where the force on the liftercaused by the platform is substantially zero, the lifter being adaptedto move the platform from the raised position toward the lifter and awayfrom the lifter.
 7. A mobile elevating hut comprising: a trailer; thetrailer having an upright, the upright in use being upstanding from thetrailer; a platform; a first front leg connecting the platform to thetrailer, the first front leg being pivotally connected to a firstplatform point, the first front leg being pivotally connected to a firsttrailer point; a second front leg connecting the platform to thetrailer, the second front leg being pivotally connected to a secondplatform point, the second front leg being pivotally connected to asecond trailer point; a first rear leg connecting the platform to thetrailer, the first rear leg being pivotally connected to a thirdplatform point, the first rear leg being pivotally connected to a thirdtrailer point; a second rear leg connecting the platform to the trailer,the second rear leg being pivotally connected to a fourth platformpoint, the second rear leg being pivotally connected to a fourth trailerpoint; a winch, the winch in use acting between the platform and thetrailer, the winch in use being adapted to lift the platform to a raisedposition where the force on the winch caused by the platform issubstantially zero, the winch being adapted to move the platform fromthe raised position toward the winch and away from the winch; and alock, the lock in use acting between the trailer and the platform torestrain the platform.